Here's A Map Of The Preppiest States In America

Hayley Peterson, provided by

Published 1:55 pm, Thursday, January 9, 2014

Popped collars, bow ties and seersucker suits are among the many fashion items that have come to define the preppy lifestyle.

But a recent thread on Quora argues that the prevalence of those styles isn't a true representative of how "preppy" a state or region is; Rather, it's the concentration of preparatory schools — where the word "preppy" came from — that dictates an area's partiality to Polo and Vineyard Vines.

By that logic, this map would be one of the most accurate representations of the preppiest regions in America, Quora user Ian McCullough argued.

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It shows the top 150 prep schools in the nation based on athletics, academics and financial resources. The map was prepared by Prep School Sports Connection, a firm that helps match student athletes with prep schools.

The states with the highest concentrations of top prep schools are Connecticut and Massachusetts, according to the map.

Clearly, the Northeast dominates as a region in top prep schools. Here's a closer look at that section of the map:

"It’s probably safe to say that the majority of top prep schools are in the Northeast because that’s where the country originated, and is still heavily populated," Prep School Sports Connection Founder Michael Stone told Business Insider. "Some of the schools are as old as — or older than — the U.S. (yes, older than 1776). However, that doesn’t explain why more never opened in the western two-thirds of the country."

Another reason why most prep schools are located in the Northeast is because of their proximity to Ivy League schools, he added.